Kim Boutin wins silver at short track World Cup opener
Canadian speed skater reaches podium in 1500m in Budapest; Women's, men's relay teams advance to final
Canada's Kim Boutin had a successful start to the World Cup season, earning silver in the 1500-metre at the short track speed skating event in Budapest, Hungary, on Saturday.
South Korea's Jeong Min Choi crossed the line first with a time of two minutes, 33.025 seconds, Boutin, of Sherbrooke, Que., was next at 2:33.096, while Deanna Lockett of Australia was third in 2:33.555.
Valerie Maltais of Saguenay, Que., finished fifth with a time of 2:51.369.
Boutin and Maltais were leading the pack with two laps to go when the South Korean skater caused Maltais to fall, pushing the latter back to fifth.
"I'm really happy with my race," said Boutin. "Valerie and I were on a mission. I think it was the first time that we were able to block the Koreans. We worked well as team. It was a superb race."
Boutin initially ended up third, but a penalty given to South Korea's Shim Suk Hee allowed her to move up one rank.
Félicitations / Congratulations<a href="https://twitter.com/kimbtin?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@kimbtin</a> <br>Silver / Argent<br>1500m W/F<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WCShortTrack?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WCShortTrack</a> - Budapest 🇭🇺 <a href="https://t.co/wCayQy1hqe">pic.twitter.com/wCayQy1hqe</a>
—@SSC_PVCMeanwhile, Jamie Macdonald of Fort St. James, B.C., took second place in the B final.
On the men's side, Samuel Girard of Ferland-et-Boilleau, Que., scored the fastest time in the 1500m B final at 2:21.143.
Charles Hamelin of Saint-Felicien and Charle Cournoyer from Boucherville, Que., who skated in the same heat, were penalized during the semis and did not qualify for the 1500 final.
St-Gelais regaining form
Marianne St-Gelais of Saint-Felicien was fourth in the 500 A final.
"I made a decision in the final race that cost me dearly in terms of rank, but that allowed me to learn something that will be quite useful in the future," said St-Gelais.
"I'm disappointed with the result, but I can't be totally disappointed with how my day went. I had a long way to go; this is my first final since last spring's world championships. I was excited and nervous, but the 500m is a very good way to gain some confidence."
Boutin and Maltais have also advanced to the 1000 quarter-finals on Sunday as have Hamelin, Cournoyer, and Girard, who took top spot in Saturday's 500 B final.
Later Saturday, Canada's women's relay team finished first in its 3000 heat to advance to Sunday's final.
In the last event of the day, the men's 5000 relay team also qualified for the final with the top time in its heat.
With files from Speed Skating Canada